Rides for Kids

[erinshaneb]

My daughter turns 4 in two weeks and we will be taking her to WDW in September..she is more than tall enough to ride most of the rides (she's almost 43" inches)..I have warned my hubby just bcuz she is tall enough to get on them doesn't mean she should..but Pirates and Test Track and such..anyone travel with small children and notice a reaction on certain rides..I know all kids are different and it will depend on mood at the time as well :shrug:..She LOVES anything pirate but i showed her the video of the ride and she said it was too scairy...On a side note my son will be 9 months old..I know about rider swap, but what about "boat" rides..will he be able to ride on someone's lap, or will we have to swap? (or anything like that, Mexico, pirates, kilimajaro safaris??) Thanks

 

[bamillerpa]

I don't know about the child swap or having an infant with you but my daughter had just turned five the first time we took her. She's a bit of a daredevil (she's a competitve gymnast so she has no fear) and loved Pirates, Splash, Test Track, any of the thrill rides. She was a little bit apprehensive about The Haunted Mansion at first but once on the actual ride part she fell in love with it and just learned to close her eyes in the stretching room.

I would keep letting her watch the rides on youtube. Once she knows all of the rides better she might change her mind about riding them. She can always chicken out when it's her turn but I found with both of my kids that they liked the rides. I would be more cautious about the 3D movies. My son was terrified of the 3D movies and he was 9! We finally had him take his glasses off in the middle of the movie.

 

[Master Yoda]

For rides with a height restriction you will be able to do a child swap....which is basically a multi person fast pass. For rides without a height restriction I do not think that they will have a child swap as there typically is no fast pass line. You can however take your 9 month old on any ride without a height restriction and have him sit on your lap. I would highly recommend getting one of the child carries similar to what is pictured below as they will make getting on and off rides much easier and allow your little guy to see what is going on.

 

[loveofamouse]

I would gauge her reactions and desires My dd is tall, too and was tall enough for many rides at 4. We let her do some but wait a year fr others, like ToT

If you do the baby carrier route, try a beco or Ergo, esp the Beco. Would be great for a 9m old and are way more comfy than Snugli.

 

[rachels]

My son is 4 and we went in May! He absolutely loved all the ride. We were kinda apprehensive to let him ride Tower of Terror, but we ended up letting him ride, and its become one of his favorite rides now. Had to buy the tshirt and everything.
This of course is just my opinion but I would:slurp:n't let them watch the youtube videos. A:It gives away the ride for them B:Its not like actually riding the ride so he or she may be scared of the youtube vid, and absolutely love the ride. Just an example I let my son watch a little bit of the dinosaur ride, and he was scared, but rode the ride, and was fine. Just something to think about.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

For rides with a height restriction you will be able to do a child swap....which is basically a multi person fast pass. For rides without a height restriction I do not think that they will have a child swap as there typically is no fast pass line. You can however take your 9 month old on any ride without a height restriction and have him sit on your lap. I would highly recommend getting one of the child carries similar to what is pictured below as they will make getting on and off rides much easier and allow your little guy to see what is going on.

Babywearing is wonderful, but probably not for holding a baby on the rides. DS was mostly in a stroller for our last WDW trip in '08, but at DLR in '07 and '08 they made us take him out of his sling to get in the ride vehicle. Maybe they don't do this at WDW, but it seems to be the rule at our local amusement parks, too.